PARIS – part two

There are many beautiful gardens big and small in Paris and we took the opportunity recently to spend a little time here , beautiful despite the overcast weather.

Le Jardin du Luxembourg is in the 6^th arrondisement on the Left Bank and surrounds the Palais du Luxembourg, currently the home of the french senate. 

Building of the  palais and jardins was first started in 1612 for Marie de’ Medici, widow of  Henry IV and mother of Louis XIII. Marie had grown up in Florence so she envisioned this palais and it’s gardens in the florentine style of the time.

There are about twenty statues of french queens and famous women  arranged along the terraces. In 1880s and 1890s, statues of french writers and artists were added to the collection. There are allées of trees for shade and plenty of seats scattered about so you can just relax and watch the world pass by, perhaps with a glass of wine or a coffee from the little cafe.

There are two particular features of the gardens – the Medici Fountain and the central basin.

The Medici Fountain was built in 1630 by Italian artisans. France had embraced the Italian style during the 16^th century when Catherine de’ Medici married Henry II and, after his death, three of her sons became kings of France. It appears that the Medici and the Valois families intermarried quite a lot – might explain some things.  When we first saw this fountain in 1999, climbing out of the water was a dinosaur made of wire and covered in ivy. Can’t say the french don’t have a sense of humour.

choosing un petit bateau

sailing on le bassin

The gardens are popular on Sundays and fête days (public holidays). Lots of people walk the paths or sit in the sun, and some bring their children to sail little boats on the basin.

despite the crowds, there is always a quiet corner to sit and chat with friends

what a great setting for a tennis court

even the ducks enjoy visits by the petits bateaux to their house in le bassin

Hope you have enjoyed this little walk with us.

bon week-end mes amis

PARIS – part one

 

a city of bridges 

We have just spent a few days in Paris with friends from Australia and I thought I might share the city in summer with you in small doses, hence "part one". 

there is always a crowd at Le Louvre

Not everyone knows this , but when all the tourists arrive in August, the Parisians who can, leave town. August in Europe is like January in Australia. Not only is it school summer break but also the month when most Europeans take their annual ‘vacance’ and millions of them head for France. In 2013, there were 84 million of them - 27 million in Paris alone for the year. Since France is 1/14th the size of Australia and has a population of 66 million, you can imagine the effect this influx has everywhere. In the country, the roads are full of campervans, cyclists with paniers, and walkers with backpacks and trekking poles.

Parisians tend to head for the beaches of Normandy and Brittany in the north , or the Mediterranean to the south. For all those poor Parisians stuck at home catering to the tourist crowds, le mairie (town hall) creates Le Plage Paris  ( the beach) every summer along the banks of the Seine.

unfortunately, the weather was  a little grey this day

...but you get the idea

There’s sand, real palm trees, deck chairs, umbrellas, bars and music. While it’s not quite St Tropez, it does look  like a fun place from 9.00am until midnight.

a little quiet in the morning, but it's one long party at night with live music and dancing 

Further along there are now 'water sport' areas for the more active

and always something for the rest of us...

just wanted to show you that Paris is not always museums, art galleries and restaurants, though there is enough of those to satisfy anyone.

Bon week-end mes amis

RUGBY WORLD CUP 2015 is coming…

For all those rugby nuts reading this, you are no doubt already aware that the Rugby World Cup will be held in UK from 18^th September to 31^st October next year, so I'm taking this opportunity to do a little promotion of our part of France - also full of rugby 'enthusiasts'.

our local club Stade Foyen in black and red

If you are planning to be at the World Cup, then please think about a visit to this part of France for a few days between games. There are flights from many UK airports to Bergerac (Ryanair, Flybe, etc) where you can rent a car and explore the local area from Bordeaux in the west to Sarlat in the east, Cognac in the north to the Garonne river in the south.

We can recommend local chambres d’hôtes for a special experience of french ‘grande maisons’ and chateaux either in the countryside surrounded by vines, or in the centre of medieval towns where you can simply walk to cafes and restaurants – some are even owned by Australians and New Zealanders who have chosen this part of France to live ‘ la bonne vie’.

http://www.labatellerie.com/
http://www.chateau-carbonneau.com/EN/accueil.htm
http://www.maison20.com/Pages/default.aspx

Bordeaux is just over an hours drive away and is a beautiful city, often described as a smaller version of Paris ( without the Eiffel Tower).

view of the river at Bordeaux

one of the original city gate towers

doesn't it look like Paris ?

St Emilion is the centre of one of the finest wine areas in France and is a wonderful example of a medieval town clinging to the hillsides surrounded by vineyards.

monastery ruins in St Emilion

somewhere for lunch

take care after a few vins rouges

There is a stunning drive along the Vezere river valley past troglodyte village sites up to the village of Montignac where you can enjoy lunch at one of the many riverside restaurants and then a tour of the Lascaux caves, if prehistoric art interests you, and Sarlat-la-Canéda is nearby and well known for it’s foie gras and it’s market. Along this part of the Dordogne river you can visit the legacy of the Hundred Years War between France and England – great castles on either side of the river where they could keep watch on each other.

water views ?

there's always another chateau

troglodyte caves 

The Gironde area to the south of the Dordogne river is full of beautiful medieval villages and chateaux to be explored. Duras and Monbazillac are two examples within a half hour drive and the old town centre of Bergerac has many restaurants and fascinating old buildings. You can even take a boat ride up the river for a different view of the countryside.

Chateau de Duras

a wonderful way to see the sights

Chateau de Monbazillac

For those who are more energetic, there is canoeing, cycling and walking trails (randonées) and there is, of course, always wine tasting. For those who like food with their wine, the local specialités are duck and foie gras, prunes and walnuts ( out of which the french also make alcohol, of course) but you can never get enough of the bread and cheeses anywhere in France.

September and October is also ‘vendage’ time in south-west France, so the roads will be busy with tractors and enormous grape picking machines trundling between vineyards. As the grapes are processed, the discarded skins are left in mounds by the side of the road to be removed by big trucks and taken to collection points. Just follow your nose and  the aroma of fermenting grape  as you drive around the countryside and discover great  purple mountains of grape pomace. 

you know it's summer when the decorations go up

For those who love the markets, there is a food market almost every day of the week in one or another of the many villages, but our local market at Ste Foy la Grande was voted most popular in France this year and is only held on Saturdays. For vide greniers (like car boot sales) and brocante markets you need to be here on a Sunday.  There are always ‘special’ markets – for example , in October there is  a three day brocante market at Rauzun and dealers will come from all over France to sell and to buy, and then there is the ‘Salon de Bordeaux et de l’art contemporain’, a one week fair for antiques and contemporary art  at the exhibition centre at Bordeaux.

you never know what you'll see at a marché

If you feel like a drive in the countryside, there is always Chapelle Notre Dame du Rugby in the little town of Saint Savin Larrivière in the Landes region to the south of Bordeaux. The chapel was consecrated in 1967 and the local team comes here to be 'blessed' before their games. A truly unique expression of rugby.

Notre Dame du Rugby

Scrum !

everyone has a rugby ball !

For those who are interested in old cars there is the ‘Circuit des Remparts’ at Angouleme in September. This  event started in 1939 and involves vintage cars racing around the city  in a series of races over a three day weekend.

As you can see, there is something for everyone in this area of France, so why don’t you include a visit in your itinerary for the World Cup.

P.S. Blacklocks, you are pencilled in for a visit.

Bonne semaine mes amis